"Axios": Qatar demands an Israeli apology before resuming mediation efforts regarding Gaza.

The American news site "Axios" reported on Saturday that Qatar is conditioning its continued role as a mediator in the ceasefire talks and the deal for the release of detainees in Gaza on a public apology from Israel for the raid that targeted Hamas leaders while they were meeting in Doha to discuss the recent proposal from the U.S. president to achieve the deal.

Quoting sources familiar with the talks, the site reported that this demand, raised by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was brought up during U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's discussions this week in Jerusalem and Doha, as well as during a meeting of U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in London with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

Although Doha expects an Israeli apology to move forward with the negotiations, sources indicated to the site that Qatar would be willing to show some flexibility in the wording of the apology, given the political sensitivity of the matter for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel launched its aggression against Qatar on September 9 with the aim of undermining the negotiations on the U.S. proposal.

In its aggression, Israel assassinated six people, including Hamam, the son of a Hamas leader, and senior Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, as well as a Qatari officer, and it has been confirmed that the Israeli aggression failed to kill Hamas leaders.

Qatar has hosted the political leadership of Hamas since 2012, but it is also a key ally of the United States and hosts the largest U.S. military base in the region.

It has also been the main mediator—along with the United States and Egypt—in long-term negotiations for the release of hostages held by Palestinian resistance movements in Gaza, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and a post-war plan for the sector.

The attempt by Israel to assassinate Hamas political leaders has sparked outrage from Qatar, in addition to international condemnation.

According to "Axios," an unnamed senior Israeli official told the site that Netanyahu realized he miscalculated the extent of the repercussions that the strike would cause and downplayed them. According to the report, Qatar may not demand that Netanyahu apologize for the bombing of Hamas leaders, but rather for the unintentional killing of a Qatari security officer. Axios added that Israel is also expected to commit to not violating Qatar's sovereignty again in the future.

The report comes amid last-minute efforts to revive ceasefire negotiations and the hostage deal, which were already at an impasse before the strike on Hamas officials in Doha.

Reports had indicated that the United States had presented a proposal before the strike that included the release of all hostages on the first day of the truce, and if subsequent talks were fruitful, an end to the war in Gaza. Hamas stated that its leaders were discussing the offer when the airstrike was carried out. Last month, Hamas announced its acceptance of a U.S. proposal for a partial agreement that Israel had sought for several months after rejecting previous offers for a gradual truce for the prisoners.

The movement confirmed its readiness to end the war, but it did not accept Israel's conditions, which include the release of prisoners, disarming Hamas, disarming Gaza, and forming a new government for the sector that does not include Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.